by Rob Widmer, VP of Business Services, Heartland Community College, and CCBO President

In a recent conversation with the Community College Journal (April/May 2009), U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan acknowledged that "Community colleges are a vital part of our nation's higher education system, serving nearly 40 percent of America's college students...for some students, especially during these tough economic times, community colleges offer a convenient and affordable path to a bachelor's degree." Duncan continued, "Community colleges are also a great source of job training and workforce development. They offer the kind of flexibility that adult learners and working students need."

by Duane Risse, Director, Budgets and Contracts, Front Range Community College, and Leadership Academy member

As a supervisor, you make many decisions every day - some simple, some difficult. One of the most difficult decisions a supervisor will ever make is to terminate an employee. This article is not intended to address legal or human resource issues or how to terminate an employee, but rather to identify some issues that a supervisor needs to consider immediately before and after you have met with the employee.

Terminating an employee can be stressful and it is not uncommon that you may fail to consider some simple tasks that need to be performed. To minimize this potential, you should create a checklist of action items, to ensure matters are not overlooked.